Thunderstorms & Tigers
by LuthienLossehelin
Summary: One-shot:Mai faces her fear of storms in the Sengoku period. Will Masamune be able to help her overcome them?


_Crash!_

The sudden sound of thunder jolted Mai out of her deep sleep. The deep rumbling continued long after the initial crack of thunder. Lightning illuminated the room in short bursts while the thunder following seemed to growl in anticipation waiting for the right moment to come crashing again like symbols in an orchestra.

Frightened, Mai hastily buried herself in the protection of her covers. She had never been a fan of storms, and ever since the incident with the storm that had brought her to the Sengoku period she had liked them even less.

Clenching her fists tightly together she repeated to herself, "You're fine. It's okay. It's just a storm. There's nothing to be afraid of." The silent mantra did little to calm the girl's wracked nerves as another bright flash lit up the night, and the boom of thunder rattled the castle. It was going to be a long night.

"Gah!" Mai cried as something heavy pounced on her, attempting to claw its way under her covers. "Shogetsu! How did you get here?"

The cub who had gone missing earlier that day had apparently found his way into the guest bedroom. The not-so-little kitten was attempting to get into the blankets along with Mai, squirming and wiggling its way closer to the center of the futon. Whiskers tickled at her nose as the wiggling continued until Shogetsu was completely submersed in the tangled covers. A soft mew issuing forth as he rubbed his forehead along Mai's cheek. Was he trembling?

"You're scared of the storm too," Mai muttered.

 _Crack! Boom! Crack!_

The series of crashes and rumbles confirmed her words as woman and tiger cub huddled closer together. Shogetsu might be a tiger, however, he was still a baby and he had probably never seen a storm such as this. The poor thing was trembled as it lay on Mai.

Another crash resounded through the castle when Mai felt a sharp sting on her hand.

"Ouch!"

In his attempt to flee the noise, Shogetsu had caught the side of her hand with one of his sharp claws. Pushing the heavy cub off, she investigated her wound. In the flashing of the lights Mai could see a small trickle of blood running down her arm. _Great._ This was exactly how she wanted to spend her night, braving a storm with an anxious tiger cub who was using her as a pincushion.

Glaring at the kit, she watched as he contentedly bathed himself in the middle of her futon, purring loudly. The storm outside seemed to have faded for the time being, and Shogetsu was happily making himself at home, seemingly forgetting about the injury that he had inflicted.

Making a quick decision, Mai hoisted the feline in her arms. "Come on you," she grunted lugging the cat out of her room. "There's a lull in the storm, and I'm going to return you to your master before it starts, again."

Masamune couldn't decide what it was that had woken him. The thunderstorm outside continued to rage, yet, it was not the storm that had disturbed his slumber. Slowly, he reached for his ever present wakizashi. If this was an assassination attempt he would be ready. Gripping the hilt, he lay perfectly still and listened. The manor quaked with another rumble of thunder.

There!

It was a faint, almost imperceptible, noise just beyond his bedroom partition. A series of flashes revealed a silhouette standing just on the other side. Masamune squinted. It appeared as if the figure was struggling with something in its arms.

"Stop it! No, get off!" a muffled voice scold. A scuffle ensued followed by a loud thud as a body slammed against the partition door.

Masamune grinned knowingly. Throwing off his covers, he lit a nearby candle, and proceeded to slide the partition open. _This was going to be entertaining._ In a flurry of motion cat and woman tumbled through the opening, landing noisily on the floor.

"Ouch," Mai moaned as her back hit the floor, and Shogetsu landed unceremoniously on top of her. The stupid tiger had refused to leave her side once the storm had resumed, and clung to her when she attempted to put him down.

A soft chuckle drew her attention away from the cub, and upwards. Mai groaned inwardly. Of course Masamune would've woken with all the commotion she had made. She had hoped to sneak into the manor, drop Shogetsu off, and get back to her room before anyone noticed and the storm resumed its tantrum. She accomplished none of these goals.

"Now what are you two kittens doing out of bed on such a night?" Masamune queried with a devilish smirk.

Harrumphing, Mai shoved Shogetsu to the side, and glared angrily at the man before her. Disheveled hair fell across her face as she raised herself by the elbows, her gaze not waving. She had been woken by the storm, attacked by a tiger cub, navigated the maze that was Azuchi castle at night, was in no mood to be laughed at, and… _Oh gods!_ Heat began to rise to her face as she noticed for the first time that in her tussle with the tiger her kimono had fallen around her legs in a rather undignified manner. Everything from mid-thigh down was exposed, and Masamune had a front row view!

Hastily, Mai pushed herself onto her knees, fixing the kimono in the process. This night just kept getting worse and worse. She could still feel Masamune's eye watching her intently. Candlelight reflecting a predatory gleam.

Mustering what dignity she had left, the exhausted, angry woman resumed her glaring, "Shogetsu found his way into my room, and I decided to return him to you."

Lips twitching upward, Masamune watched as Mai rose to her feet. With a toss of her hair she stood before him proud, and unwavering. Her face was still flush with embarrassment, yet she stood there defiantly acting as if nothing had happened. This woman was unlike any other that he had met.

Opening his mouth to speak, Masamune words were cut off with a bright flash of light and a shattering crack of thunder. The ground vibrated from the energy as the entire manor shook, and a gust of wind hurled raindrops against the walls - the fury of the storm had resumed.

There were several more flashes of light, and rumbling thunder when Masamune became aware of two things. One, Shogetsu had planted himself at his master's feet huddled into a ball. Two, Mai clung desperately to the front of his haori her entire body quaking.

Shogetsu being frightened of storms did not surprise the warlord. He had rescued the cub during a bad thunderstorm, and the kit had been terrified ever since. However, Mai was a different story. She was fearless. She was unshakeable. She had rescued Nobunaga from a burning fire, attempted to tackle Yoshitoshi unarmed, and she had stood before his sword without flinching. Yet, here she was trembling in his arms.

"You are scared of the storm?" mused Masamune as he gently stroked her hair.

"It...it just startled me," came the whispered reply.

Mai attempted to pull away from Masamune, but the unrelenting storm drove her back into his arms. He hugged her close as she buried her face in his chest. Shogetsu meowed a complaint at his feet. "Well," he chuckled, "it would appear that I'll be caring for two kittens, tonight."

Popping her head up, the lass gazed quizzically at him. Understanding dawned in her gorgeous eyes, and crimson red stained her cheeks once more. "I...wait...no. I can't stay here!" she gasped in protest.

This woman was truly remarkable. Here she was positively terrified, and she still found the courage to object. Without a word Masamune scooped Mai into his arms, ignoring her protests, and moved towards the futon.

"I can't stay," she squirmed. "Masamune!"

"Hush, or would you rather return to you room alone to wait out this storm?" She stiffened. Clearly, the idea of being alone during the continuous squall was petrifying to the lass. "Be still, then, and let me take care of you."

Reaching the futon, Masamune leaned against the nearby wall, pulling Mai into his lap, and cradled her head against his breast. Shogetsu, realizing that he had been left, scurried over to the two humans,and promptly planted himself against Masamune's side. Reproachfully, he meowed at them as if scolding the pair for forgetting his presence. Absentmindedly, Masamune stroked the tiger cub's head as his focus remained on the girl.

"Mai," Masamune whispered into her hair as she stiffened after a series of flashed had illuminated the room. "Relax, I have you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I hate storms," She murmured her confession barely reached his ears between the rolling thunder. "Ever since I was a child I hated them."

Reaching up a hand to caress her hair, the warlord listened intently. Mai rarely spoke of her own time in the future, and even less of her past as a child; he wanted to know more. "Oh?" he encouraged.

Mai sighed, "When I was a child there was this really bad thunderstorm. We knew it was coming - you could feel it in the air, and see the sky darkening on one side. My father had been working outside, and was putting away some tools when it hit. The wind picked up so suddenly and so fiercely, and the sky was pitch black. He came running towards our house, but the wind was blowing so strong. I was standing in the doorway, watching, terrified that my father was going to be swept away. He made it inside, but...the storm was just beginning. You could hear the wind raging all around the house, lightning lit every corner in bursts, and the thunder was deafening. The walls shook around us, and I feared that they were going to collapse onto my family and I…"

Masamune felt her shiver at the memory. Squeezing her tightly, he soothed, "I am here."

"You must think me some sort of coward being scared of a storm."

Long fingers clasped at her chin as he gently tugged it upward, encouraging her to look at him. Masamune's eye searched Mai's face, capturing her attention, "You are the bravest, most reckless woman I have ever met. There is no shame in confessing you are afraid. Admitting your fear is the first step in overcoming it. The important thing is that you don't let it rule you."

"I know," the lass admitted."I just don't know how to overcome it."

Mai attempted to avert her eyes, however, Masamune would have none of it. Instead, he cupped her cheek in his hand, pulling her close until their faces were mere inches apart. He gazed intently into her eyes. His thumb slowly caressing along her soft cheek.

"Let me help you," he breathed.

"A..Alright."

Masamune smile, then slowly kissed her soft lips. Pulling away the he noticed that Mai's face was flushed for the third time that night. Laughing silently to himself, he nestled her against his chest, resting his chin comfortably on her head. He could feel her relaxing.

"Masamune?"

"Mmmm?"

"Thank you."

Planting a kiss on the top of her head, Masamune gave her shoulders a little squeeze. Soon, Mai's body completely relaxed, and slow, even breaths reached the samurai's ears. Feeling a kick against his leg, Masamune glanced down only to find Shogetsu laying on his back with one paw pushed up against the warlord.

Masamune grinned to himself, leaning back against the wall he closed his eye. The storm was still raging outside, yet that did not matter. Both of his kittens were sound asleep.


End file.
